Hot Air
by Summer Sweetheart
Summary: On their way to the Boiling Rock, Sokka and Zuko get to talking about their sisters. Zuko/Sokka friendship/bonding fic.


Hello people! After a long break from writing while I focused more of my schoolwork, I _finally_ have another Avatar fic! This one's slightly different from my other fics. First, there's no Kataang (-gasp!-). Second, this fic features Zuko (for those who haven't read my other fics, I've never had Zuko in one).

I'm working on two other fics that aren't even close to being finished, and since it's my senior year in college, I have to work harder than ever this year, so don't expect those fics to come out anytime soon. Look at my profile for more information. (And yes, those other two fics do have some Kataang in them! XD)

I'd like to thank Firelord Lionheart for looking over my fic and giving me comments. Less than three Lion!

One last thing: this fic takes place during The Boiling Rock Part 1. Just so you know!

Anyway, I talked (or… typed?) long enough! I bring you… "Hot Air!" –Confetti is thrown-

**Disclaimer:** You know…

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Sokka and Zuko were getting along pretty well on their way to the Boiling Rock prison. They were getting a little into their personal lives; talking about girls and how Zuko had to leave his girlfriend, Mai, behind.

"Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor." Zuko said looking down. "I couldn't drag her into it."

Since Zuko opened up to him, Sokka felt like he should contribute something.

"My first girlfriend turned into the Moon." he said sadly, and as he thought about Yue, he felt a pang in his heart thinking about Suki as well. What Azula had said about her in the Invasion confirmed the fear that Sokka had kept repressed since Ba Sing Se. Suki was a prisoner of the Fire Nation, and she had to endure torture at the hands of Azula for the Spirits knew how long. If Azula hadn't killed Suki, she was certainly wishing she had.

Zuko looked confused. "That's rough, buddy." he wasn't exactly sure what else to say.

An hour passed by. They wouldn't be getting to the prison until after nightfall, which was still a few hours away.

"So…" Sokka said, trying to strike up a conversation.

"So what?" Zuko responded.

"So… how do you like being in our group?" Zuko looked at Sokka, not sure why he was asking him this. "I'm just trying to make conversation!" He held up his hands in defense.

"I guess it's alright." Zuko shrugged. "Everyone seems to be treating me okay… except for, you know… your sister…"

Sokka chuckled. "Just give her time. She'll come around."

"Do you think so? Because when I joined, she said that if she even suspects that I might hurt Aang, she'd kill me…" the exiled prince sighed.

Sokka's eyes widened. "Wow. Yeah, Katara can get like that sometimes. As long as you watch your step, you'll be alright."

"I sure hope so. I've seen her waterbending and I won't deny she'd be able to do some damage." Zuko said, remembering their fight at the North Pole.

"You're telling me," Sokka snorted. "At least you didn't have to live with it!"

"You think _you_ have it bad?" Zuko laughed. "I've lived with much worse!" He was, of course, talking about _his_ sister. "Besides, at least she looks up to you. If she really needs your help, you're there. And most of all, she loves you. That's more than Azula. She never did like me."

"I can only imagine…" Sokka said, knowing very well that Azula was the definition of evil. He never thought anyone could be as horrible as she. He could only imagine their father!

"Yeah," Zuko laughed a bit. "My earliest memory of Azula is of her pulling my hair and spitting up on my shirt. She's hated me since day one. You're lucky to have someone like Katara. Count your blessings."

"I'll admit that Katara is not as bad as Azula, but it's not like my childhood was all cupcakes and rainbows!" Sokka threw his hands up in the air, trying to make his point clear.

"Cupcakes and—? Never mind…" Zuko shook his head. "Anyway, what happened? Katara couldn't have been _that_ bad. She wasn't a very good waterbender when we first met." He remembered the fight on his ship when he first found the Avatar. She had trouble with her aim.

"It wasn't that," Sokka looked down. "It was… this might sound a little stupid, but… well, when my parents found out Katara was a waterbender, they were so proud. My father was the one who encouraged her to practice, since she was the only bender in the Southern Tribe. My dad has been known to…" Sokka tried to find the right words, "…push me aside for Katara."

Zuko didn't know what to say. Sokka continued.

"He'd do anything for her. He even once stopped everything to travel around the South Pole, looking for other Waterbenders that can train Katara, even though he knew it was in vain." Sokka sighed.

"I'm sorry Sokka." Zuko said, putting his hand on Sokka's shoulders.

"But hey," Sokka said after a few minutes, "I really can't complain. You had it a lot worse than I did. At least Katara's not a psychopathic maniac."

"Yeah." Zuko forced a laugh. All this talk about his sister made him uncomfortable. He didn't know why, but it did.

Then, somewhere in his mind, he remembered one stormy night many years ago.

_Azula was only five years old at the time and had gone into her older brother's room, afraid from the thunder and lightning, something Zuko now saw as ironic. Zuko had allowed his sister to come under the covers with him, and he started talking to her, trying to make her forget about the rumblings coming from outside every few seconds._

_To this day, Zuko doesn't remember how, but eventually, their conversations turned to the years of their birth, and what their Zodiac signs meant._

_"You were born in the year of the Dragon." Zuko told her in his not-yet mature voice. "That means that you will be able to pick up things more easily. You don't need to practice all that hard to become a good Firebender."_

_"Really?" she had asked, sitting up a little bit in the bed._

_Zuko nodded. "Yeah. I on the other hand, was born in the year of the Tiger. That means I will have to struggle and fight if I ever wanna become good at anything…" Zuko looked down at his blankets._

_"I think you're good at a lot of things!" Azula said brightly._

_Zuko shrugged as he pulled the covers up to his shoulders. "We should get to bed. Night Azula."_

_"Night." he heard his sister answer from behind him._

"Zuko…?" The Fire Prince was snapped out of his thoughts by Sokka.

"Huh?" Zuko looked up at the Water Tribe teenager.

"You kinda zoned out for a while. You okay?"

"Yeah," Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm alright." He then turned his back towards Sokka and looked out to sea. The sun was setting in the horizon. They should be arriving at the Boiling Rock in a few hours…

Two hours had passed, and night veiled the sky. Sokka had already fallen asleep while Zuko was lost in thought about his sister. _What_ had happened to her? How did she go from an innocent little girl to… well, a _not_ so innocent teenager?

'_My father.'_ He thought. It was he who made her what she was. He has had way too much influence over her in her younger years. He wondered that if his mother was still around, maybe things would've turned out different… Having a sister who loved him, like Katara loved Sokka. It would have made his life a hell of a lot easier.

Zuko lingered on these thoughts for a long time after, barely registering the loud snores of his flying companion. He wondered what Azula was doing at this moment.

'Whatever it is,' Zuko thought, 'it can't be good.'

It was with this notion that all thoughts of his sister left his mind, for he had just spotted the Boiling Rock prison in the distance.

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Hope you enjoyed my fic. Also hope I haven't gone rusty in my writing. Please let me know by hitting that 'review' button below! Thanks for reading!


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